Box-band



(No Model.)

W. A. GOMSTOOK.

BOX BAND.

No. 353,540. Patented Nov. 30, 1886.

wfizesses. fzaarzaor. Nflmiflfiavez W itiorrzey iiNirnn STATES ATENT rrrcn.

WILLIAM A. COMSTOCK, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

BOX-BAN D.

EPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 353,540, dated November 30, 1886.

Application filed May 6,1886. Serial No. 201,300. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I,\VILLIAM A. Consrocn, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chi cage, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Bands for Strapping Boxes, 01' which the following isa specification, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure l is a perspective view of a box provided with a band embodying my improvement. Fig. 2 is a detail plan view, on an enlarged scale, of part of the band; and Fig. 8 is a detail plan view, also on an enlarged scale, of a modification ot' the parts shown in Fig. 2.

My invention relates to wire bands t'orstrapping around boxes.

11: consists of the combination of a main straight wire with a secondary wire twined or wound around it and bent so as to form a series of loops between the windings for the reception of nails.

In the drawings, which rcpt-(sent one our bodiment of my invention, A represents the box. Bis the wire band composed ol'a main and straight wire, C, and a smaller and secondary wire, D, wound around it and secured upon it (by being-pressed or hammered on enough to preventslipping)atregularintervals,asshown, and standing out alittle from the main wire, between the points on the latter at which the winding occurs, so as to form a series of loops, E, between the windings. These loops E are made of a size to receive the points of nails, but to exclude the heads and most of the shanks thereof. \Vhen the nail is driven home into the wood of the box, the loop is widened, the main wire being bent outward a little, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3 at 6, thus tightening the wires against each other, and shortening and widening the loop, and thus keeping-the wire band from longitudinal play where it embraces the nails. v

The object of using wire bands with a continuous series of loops is to enable the operator to nail them to the box at the most dosirable points, and in such positions in the length of the band as to avoid corners, knots, imperfections in general, and the cracks between the boards of which the box is formed, and all this without the exercise of forethought in adapting the band to the particular box.

\Vhcn the loops E are formed by bending both wires, those loops which are not used for the reception of nails tend to collapse, those parts of the wires forming the loop tending to approach each other, and thus render elastic and lengthen the wire when the band is subjected to tension in securing it to the box, and more particularly when the box receives severe shocks in handling, thus allowing the sides or cover to work loose; but by making one wire straight this undesirable elasticity 01' the band is avoided. Furthermore, if the ends of a band made as I have shown and described mine be first nailed to the box, each subsequentdriving of a nail (intermediate between the end nails of the band) tightens the band, as it bends the straight wire out of its former straight line into the form shown at 0. Again, when both wires are twisted upon each other and the loops are made by bending each wire the twisting and bending both weaken the tensile strength of the band. I avoid both these defects in my main wire, which is usually much the larger of the two wires.

The loops E may be made alternately on one side and the other of the main wire C, as in Fig. 2, or they may all be made on the same side of the main wire, as shown in Fig. 3.

Having thus described the best embodiment of my invention known tome,what I claim as the invention itself, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A wire band for strapping boxes, eo1n posed of a straight wire and a secondary wire wound around it and bent to form loops between the windings, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. A box provided with a wire band composed of a main wire, C, and a secondary wire wound around it and bent to form loops between the windings, said wire band being secured to said box by nails, the upper parts of the shanks of which are too large to enter the unused loops without distorting the latter, substantially as set forth.

\VM. A. COMSTOCK.

VVitn esses:

J OHN T. ERWIN, G. R. CUTLER. 

